World War I Posters

Collections and Collectors

World War I Posters

When war was declared in the summer of 1914, nearly every belligerent country employed the relatively new medium of color lithography to support their national efforts. Bright posters with bold images and messages were used to encourage enlistment, boost morale, urge sacrifice, and solidify public opinion against the enemy. Equally important, posters helped governments promote bonds to help fund the enormous expense of the war.

Artists used patriotic symbols to inspire citizens. Flags, national emblems such as the double-headed Austrian eagle or the American Statue of Liberty, and patriotic slogans were all used as calls to action. Caricatures of the enemy were also powerful means to incite civilians.

In the United States, the Division of Pictorial Publicity administered war posters under the guidance of artist Charles Dana Gibson. During the nineteen months that America was at war, artists created 1,438 poster designs for the division; many of these were printed in editions of 100,000 or more, resulting in millions of posters across the nation. More than eighteen million posters were distributed just for the third and fourth “Liberty Loan” campaigns. These Liberty Loan posters proved to be highly effective: more than twenty-one billion dollars was raised in a total of five bond drives.

WWI posters

war posters

Great War

propaganda